


Partners in crime, partners in time

by viago



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, pricefield
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-09 04:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7787362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viago/pseuds/viago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just something I've been working on for myself. Set after the game is finished, if you choose the Sacrifice Arcadia Bay-ending. Kinda angsty, but mostly happy! </p><p>Short summary: It's been a couple of weeks since the town was ruined by the storm, and Max and Chloe has been living on the road ever since, going from motel to motel. Max has been haunted by nightmares ever since they left, but doesn't want Chloe to worry, so she keeps it to herself.</p><p>ALSO sorry for typos, I honestly just.. don't see them, and I have spell checking on another language, so, yeah, sorry!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dine and Dash

The sun hadn't even started lighting up the room yet when Max opened her eyes. She looked over at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 4:23. Another nightmare. Just like the night before, and the one before that. She looked over at the empty space beside her in the bed, stretching out her arm to feel the cold sheets underneath her hand. She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. The room was chilly, but Max didn't mind. The sun would warm up the town, this motel room, and Max's pale limbs soon enough. She moved her legs towards the bathroom door, and knocked on the door. No answer, so she opened the door, and stepped inside.

Looking in the mirror, she noticed the dark circles under her tired eyes. It seemed that no amount of sleep would make them go away. She turned on the sink, and splashed water on her face, trying to wake up.

“Get it together, Max”, she told herself, before stepping out of the bathroom.

Still on edge from this nights dream, she walked over to the door leading outside, and turned the handle. It was even colder outside, but it helped her wake up a little bit more. Outside she was met with a sight that was very familiar by now. The blue hair. The worn out clothes and boots. The tattooed arm peeking out from under the arms of her hoodie. Chloe. She had a calming effect on Max. Seeing her, even if it was for the billionth time, filled her with a sense of hope, a sense of safety. Chloe looked up, cigarette in hand.

“Hey, what's up?” she asked.

Max walked over to where Chloe was sitting, and she sat down in the chair next to her, slouched over the small patio table.

"Couldn't sleep.” Max focused her eyes on said table. It has a pretty pattern. Her fingers traced the lines in the pattern, separating the different colors. It reminded Max of the windows in a church. Church. This made her think of Kate Marsh. Sweet, beautiful, kind Kate Marsh. Max could feel that tears would start forming in the corner of her eyes, if she didn't leave this line of thought behind. She didn't want to forget Kate, but she didn't want Chloe to worry about of her either. Chloe stretched her arm out over the table, grabbing Max's hand off the table.

“Dude, you sure you're okay, you seem a bit.. distant?”

Chloe didn't talk about what happened much. She mostly tried to act normal, to feel better, and in hopes of making Max feel better. But Max knew it had an impact on her too. Of course it did. Chloe might've hated that town, but she had people she cared about there. They both did. Max squeezed her hand, and met her eyes.

"Yeah.. I just.. I..” Max couldn't get the words out.

“Well, spit it out,” Chloe said, smiling a reassuring smile.

“I'm just cold,” Max replied. It wasn't a lie, technically, she told herself.

Chloe looked away for a bit, nodding. Then she stood up, unzipping the hoodie she was wearing, and handed it to Max, who at first tried to decline.

“You'll get cold,” she said, with genuine worry in her voice. But Chloe wouldn't have it, so she just threw it at Max, leaving her no choice but to put it on. She pulled the hoodie tightly around her. It had been warmed up from Chloe's body heat, and the soft fabric was loose around her shoulders. 

“Better?” Chloe asked. “Much better,” Max replied.

“You all packed up?” Chloe didn't get a response. Max was looking through some photos she had taken on their trip so far.

"Hey, earth to Max, you there?” she followed up the question with throwing a pillow in Max's direction.

She looked up from her photographs for a second, before throwing the pillow right back in Chloe's face, who laughed it off, returning to sorting out her stuff before they were leaving this motel, like the ones before, behind for good. Max also gathered her stuff, the little stuff she had with her. She then locked up the room, and headed over to the reception, while Chloe threw their stuff in the back of her truck.

When Max returned, she had Chloe stand in front of the motel, while she took her picture. This had become the routine when leaving, but there wasn't any money in their budget for polaroid film, so this tradition would soon have to end.

<p>They had been on the road for a couple of hours, but Max had fallen asleep after only a couple of minutes. She woke up when Chloe hit a speed bump at a, well, a higher speed than recommended. Luckily, the sleep Max got this time was dreamless. Just want she needed. Chloe bumped her fist into Max's shoulder.

“Hey, let's do something memorable today, what do ya say?” she had a grin on her face, which made Max smile too, she couldn't help it.

“Like what?”

Chloe shrugged, obviously not having any specifics in mind.  
"I was hoping you had some brilliant idea.”

Max thought it over, before deciding on the best idea.

“How about we dine and dash?”

Chloe looked a little shocked. Max was a little shocked herself. It's not exactly armed robbery, but Max had her entire life respected authority, at least on the outside, and was not the type of person to break any laws for fun.  
  
"Really? I wasn't expecting this from the law abiding Maxine Caulfield!” Chloe stated.

Max jokingly sighed, and equally as jokingly said

“Alright, alright, call me Maxine again, and you'll see how law abiding I am.”

They both laughed. Max looked out the window briefly, before Chloe spoke up again.

“But okay, we've got a deal. The ol' chew and screw it is. Eat it and beat it. Lick it and split it!” she enthusiastically exclaimed.

“You got anymore of those? I'm impressed.” Max asked.

“Hook it and book it. Stow it and blow it. I could go all night, honestly,” she said.

They were quiet for a while, before Max said, like it was a question, “Eat it and street it?”

Chloe held her hand up, expecting a high five, and Max was more than happy to give it to her. They hadn't laughed and smiled this in weeks. This is just what the two of them needed. Some reckless fun to get their minds off of everything. Even if it was just for a couple of hours.

<p>They drove up to the first diner they saw. This one seemed to have a pink and yellow fifties-theme. It was very aesthetically pleasing, Max thought, who was starting to have second thoughts. What would they do if they got arrested. What was even the punishment for something like this?

“I don't know if this is such a good idea, Chloe..” Max looked over at Chloe.

“No fucking way you're backing out of this. Now give me your camera and stand in front of the sign.”

Max did as she said, still getting very, very cold feet. But she wanted to remember this fondly, so she held her thumbs up and smiled on the photograph Chloe snapped of her. She then put the camera away, and they walked inside together. They grabbed a booth near the door, and a young waitress with a colorful outfit soon showed up at their table.

“What can I get you ladies today? Some coffee, bacon and eggs?”

Chloe looked over at Max, who already had her order ready. When it came to breakfast foods, there was never even a question.

“Waffles, please. And some coffee would be nice,” she told the waitress.

Chloe ordered grilled cheese and orange juice, and just like that the waitress was on her way.

“Okay, here's the plan,” Chloe was already down to business, “one person has to stay behind, while the other one goes out to the car, and then, when the other person is safe inside the car, it's time for the risky part.”

Max sighed, and made a grimace, and spoke up, “Alright, well, you gotta be the one that leaves for the car first, god knows only you can get that car running.” Chloe nods, agreeing to this statement, and encourages Max by telling how awesome this is and that it'll go perfectly smooth. By the time they're done plotting their great heist, the food has arrived, and it goes down easily. When their done Max leaves for the bathroom, leaving Chloe alone at the table.</p>

<p>The bathroom has intense neon lights, that's blinding to Max's sleep deprived eyes. She finishes up, and steps outside to an empty booth. Chloe is already in the truck. A moment of panic flashes by. All she has to do now is leave the diner, without attracting too much attention. This is gonna go great, she tells herself. She looks over to the counter, and sees the waitress step into the backroom, to gather some orders, presumably. Max doesn't want to miss this window of opportunity, so she quickly moves towards the entrance, and steps outside, and starts running towards the truck.

“Holy shit!” she exclaims when she's sitting inside of the truck, somewhat safe. “Let's go!” Chloe turns on the ignition and drives off, leaving only a trail of dust behind.

<p>“You really bolted out of there, didn't you?” Chloe laughs.

"Yeah, yeah, well, I didn't get caught, so it's all good.”

Max looks down at the picture in her hand, of her outside of the diner. She suddenly feels a weird mix of melancholy and happiness.

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that?” Chloe asks, not taking her eyes of the road.

"I enjoyed it. My first step to becoming the legendary outlaw I was destined to be.”

<p>Finally they found a motel, so they didn't have to spend another night sleeping in Chloe's less than comfortable truck. They often talked about how nice it would be if they actually had a mattress in the back and some pillows and sheets, but with hardly any money and no covers to protect it from rain, they left that idea for now.

“Man, I hope the bed is more comfortable than the previous motel,” Chloe says before opening the door to their room for the night.

“Don't get your hopes up,” Max says when they walk into the room,

"I'll go get our stuff while you test it out.”

Chloe kick off her shoes “Deal!”.

Max walks out into the barely lit parking lot, towards the truck, when her phone starts ringing. On the large display, the word MOM is written. Max had been avoiding most of her parents' calls. She wasn't sure why. She just didn't know what she'd say. She texted them where she was now and then. But this time she accepted the call.

Leaning against the side of the truck, she brings the phone up to her ear, “Hello?” she says.

“Max, I'm glad you answered, honey. Are you okay?” her mother asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just.. I still need some time away from everything.”

Her mom has always been very understanding. Kind. But she is her mom, so naturally she worries.

"I know. I understand, I do, I just, you're not alone, right? Chloe's still with you?”.

Max spends a good while catching her mom up on where they've been and what's been going on. Max is eager to end the conversation and head inside.

"I gotta go, but I'll call you more often, I promise,” she tells her mother.

"Okay. I transferred some money, so I know you're eating and sleeping somewhere safe. I love you. And you can come home whenever you want to, and Chloe is always welcome here too, you know that, right?” she asks.

“Thank you, I really appreciate that, mom..” she stops for a little bit, “I miss you, but we'll come home, when it feels right. I love you too”. They finish up the call, and Max heads back inside with the stuff.</p>

<p>Chloe is already asleep when Max gets inside. So she locks up the door, and crawls up in bed next to Chloe, pulling the sheets over herself. The tears from this morning starts filling her eyes again. This time she lets it go. They roll down her face. It feels like it'll never end. But eventually it does, and she falls asleep.</p>

<p>Max opens her eyes. The room is dark. It takes her a few seconds to adjust her eyes to the darkness. The clock on the wall reads 2:31. This is a new record. She knew the nightmare was coming. It feels like she can't escape them. Whenever her eyes are shut, she can see them, the town, the school, the homeless lady behind the diner, random teachers she never interacted with. Her friends. Trying to lie as still as possible is driving her insane, so she rolls over on her back, staring up at the fan, spinning round and round. It feels like she's losing her mind, her chest is heavy, she cannot stay in this room any longer.</p>

<p>The parking lot is empty, except for a couple of grey SUVS, and Chloe's truck. Max walks to the middle of the lot, and stops. She looks up, to the large blue and red sign, spelling out the name of the motel. Some of the lights don't work. What a cliché, Max thinks. Taking a few short breaths, she is able to calm down, and when the cold becomes too much, she retreats back to the motel room.

The room is still dark, and Max is trying to find her way through it without making any noise, careful not to wake Chloe up. She eventually find her way to the bed, and crawls up back inside. She lays there for a minute, before a voice breaks the silence.

“I know you're not okay. I'm here when you're ready to talk about it.”

Max feels a rush of guilt. Chloe has lost so many, Max should be the one saying this to her.

"Are you okay?” she asks.

Chloe waits a moment, before replying, “No. But I will be.”

Max nods, before realizing that they can't see each other.

“I have nightmares. Every night. I feel so guilty. I left all those people behind, to.. face that storm.”

Chloe rolls over, towards Max. “Do you regret it?” she asks.

Max sighs. “No. I'd do it again.”

Chloe reaches for Max's hand under the covers, and holds it tightly. “It's not your fault. None of it. You never asked for those powers. The universe is just fucked up.”

Max is silent, she doesn't know what to say. Chloe breaks the silence once again.

"You know.. I love you. I want you to know that”

Max rolls over to face her, even though it's too dark to see much.

" I love you too,” she says without hesitation.

She finds Chloe's face in the dark, and lays her hand on her cheek. After a moment of silence, Max leans in, and their lips meet, for the first time since the night of the storm. The kiss is soft, and long, filled with emotion. The taste of toothpaste still lingers on Chloe's lips. When the kiss is over, they move closer together, and Max rests her head on Chloe's chest, listening to her heartbeat while she falls asleep again.


	2. Think Before You Ink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max has some money to spare, and Chloe has a bad idea.

Chloe woke up at nine, two hours before they needed to check out of the motel. Across her stomach, wrapping around her waist, was Max Caulfields stretched out arm. It was a good feeling, made her feel safe to have someone close, sometimes it almost made her feel giddy. She could stay like this forever. But Max started to move around, almost as if she could sense that Chloe was awake. She looked up, her light brown hair a complete mess, her blue eyes peering out from her fringe, which had become slightly too long, but they just hadn't crossed a pair of scissors in a long time, so it had just kept growing. Chloe's blue hair was starting to touch her shoulders, and the color had faded a lot. She hadn't had long her in years, and she wasn't sure if she was going to grow it out or just cut it the next time she had the chance. She would love to get her hands on some fresh dye, though. Max's voice was hoarse when she spoke up. “

What time is it?” she asked.

“It's nine. We gotta be out of this place in a couple of hours, so,” Chloe said, “how about you pack our shit up while I head out to find us some food?” Max nodded, and rolled over, looking at the ceiling.

She was always groggy in the morning. Chloe used to be the same, but had recently unintentionally kicked that habit. She kicked off the covers, and went to put some clothes on, regretting falling asleep before taking a shower the night before. But there was no time for that now. She pulled on her pair of blue jeans, ripped across the knees, and a white t-shirt.

She stopped in the doorway, before turning to Max, and jokingly saying “You better not fall asleep on me, Max. If so, no breakfast for you”. Max sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Yeah, yeah”.

Chloe didn't take the car. A small town was located only a ten minute walk away, and they should save all the gas they could. She spent her time smoking a cigarette, taking in everything around her. The small houses, packed tightly together. Arcadia Bay wasn't exactly the center of the universe, but at least she didn't have to share a garden with three other families growing up. She didn't miss her house much. She missed her mom, however. She had argued a lot with Joyce throughout her life, but she had tried her best. Chloe knew she was a difficult child at times, and she was grateful that Joyce had loved her unconditionally, working her ass off to provide for Chloe. She wished she would've appreciated it more before.

“Fuck,” she sighed, trying to push those thoughts away. It didn't do anyone any good now.

The center of this town wasn't much to brag about. A couple of stores here and there. Nothing big. But on her way to the small diner, Chloe passed a photography store. She didn't really have the time, but she went inside still. The store was surprisingly large in size. She walked through the aisles, looking for the polaroid department. The kid at the counter looked like the only breakfast he'd had that day was of the herb-kind. He was reading some kind of magazine, not paying much attention to Chloe. Which is why she grabbed a couple of packs with film and stuffed them into her bag. It wasn't a good idea, but it was almost like she was on autopilot. She spoke up, asking the kid at the counter a question about one of the cameras they had on display, to avoid suspicion. He answered in short sentences, before looking back into his magazine. Chloe thanked him and left the store.

The diner had an interesting interior. The primary color was moss green, and the walls had leaves and trees painted all over them. It was actually pretty nice. Chloe was tired of the old neon fifties inspired crap she had seen too many times, with the pink or red signs, and ugly uniforms. This place was more home-y. Chloe went up to the counter, and ordered her food, to go, pulling out her wallet to pay for the stuff. It took the waitress about seven minutes to prepare the food, and then Chloe was on her way back to the motel.

When Chloe walked in the front door of the motel room, she was met with the sight of a sleeping Max. At least she had packed up all their stuff before going back to bed. Chloe couldn't help to laugh a bit. She sat down the food on the counter, before crawling in to bed, sitting next to Max, with her legs crossed, trying to wake the sleeping girl.

“Yo, Max, I got the food,” she said. This caught her attention and she rolled over, her eyes locking on to Chloe's.

“What did you get?” she asked.

Chloe hopped out of bed, and brought the boxes of food over to the bed.

“I've known you forever, not to mention we've been waking up together for weeks now, don't you think I know by now what kind of breakfast food you want?” she said, with a grin on her face, handing over the box of waffles.

Max sat up properly, and started eating instantly. Chloe hesitated at first, but got herself to ask, “D-did you, you know, sleep okay last night? More nightmares or?” Max finished chewing her food, before replying, “Actually I.. I slept okay. Still a bit on edge, but last night was.. a lot better”.

She went back to eating her food. Chloe set her own box aside and went over to pick up her back.

“Food wasn't the only thing I brought back,” she said. Max looked up, curious. “But before I give you this, know that it didn't cost me anything, so don't worry about money, okay?”

Max nodded, “Sure, okay, let's see it”.

Chloe pulled out the packs of film, and handed them to Max. She looked surprised.

“Chloe.. did you steal the-” but was cut off.

“It doesn't matter, Max. I know how much photography means to you. And this trip, it means something to me. I want us to remember it forever, through your photos.”

Max put a hand on the side of Chloe's face, brushing her pale blue hair behind her ear, looking at her for a moment. Then she leaned in, and kissed her. Chloe didn't expect it, but once the realized what she what was happening, she kissed her back. Max was the one to pull back, but her hand remained on the side of Chloe's face, when she said “I love you.”

Chloe didn't hesitate, “I love you too, Max”.

While they were putting their bags in the back of the truck, Max spoke, “I talked to my mom yesterday, she transferred some money for us, and she added some extra for more film, but now we can use it for food or something.”

She didn't really look at Chloe when she said this, busy putting their stuff away. But Chloe stopped, looked over at Max, with a grin on her face, and said,

“I know exactly what we can use the money for.”

“No way. It's not happening,” Max said, while looking at the big “Drop in”-sign that was covering half the brick wall.

“Come on! Just something small and cheap, it'll be awesome!” Chloe exclaimed.

“We'll run out of money eventually, you know, our savings won't last forever,” Max told her, with a stern look on her face. Chloe rolled her eyes jokingly,

“I'm aware, but we'll figure it out when that happens! Let's just do something memorable today!” Max didn't reply at first, but then let out the longest sigh, before telling Chloe okay. They were getting tattoos.

Chloe had a bunch of tattoos already, so she wasn't nervous. She knew what to expect. Max however, did not. Chloe had gotten a small butterfly on her right collarbone, with an “M” next to it. Max was getting a beautiful black and white tree, with a bunch of roots and leaves and stuff, witch a “C” next to it. It was mushy, but she loved it. Max had decided to get it on her inner arm, on the bicep.

“Is this gonna hurt?” she asked.

Chloe was hesitant to reply, because yes, it would, for a short while. But she knew that this would be nothing to her, Max was the strongest person she knew. “Well, the inner arm is a bitch, but you'll handle it, Maxinator!” Chloe loved calling Max for weird versions of her name, and she suspected that Max loved it equally as much. Their hands were locked together, when the artist began working.

“This isn't so bad,” Max said, after the first line. Although her face told a different story during some of the more sensitive areas of the skin. During those parts, Chloe would lean down and kiss her forehead. It was odd, she had never been the best at expressing affection, but it came easy with Max, like it had with Rachel.

“Now, the worst part is what comes next,” Chloe said when they walked out of the shop, “the healing process”.

Max laughed, thinking that she surely must be joking. She wasn't. The two girls walked over to the truck, which was sloppily parked. Max stopped Chloe from getting into the car, by holding out her arm.

“Today was fun,” she said, “we need fun. I'm glad you convinced me”. This time it was Chloe who went in for the kiss. Leaning against the truck, she wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her closer, kissing her hard. Neither of them pulled back this time. Chloe's cold hands slipped under Max's sweater, and ran across the warm skin on her back. They didn't stop until they both got startled by a nearby dog barking loudly. They looked at each other. Chloe squeezed Max's small hand, smiling. Max was smiling too.

 


	3. The Great Outdoors, ft. Hair Dye Sessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is pretty gay

“Chloe, I need to ask you something. And it's really important you tell me the truth.”

Max looked at her girlfriend, who was sitting behind the wheel of the beat up truck, looking at the road. 'Girlfriend'. It was weird, they hadn't exactly discussed or defined the relationship, but that was what felt most natural to Max. Girlfriend.

“Alright, shoot,” Chloe said.

“You know, those years when we..” she stopped, momentarily, “lost contact, did you... did you..” she stopped. Chloe looked over, “Dude, get to the point?” She closed her eyes, and sighed dramatically, before finally getting to the point. “Did you have an emo phase?”

Chloe jokingly rolled her eyes, and looked out the window briefly, before admitting it. “Yes, yes I did”. Max started laughing, begging Chloe if there were any photos to be found online. She, of course, denied that it was a possibility.

“Man, I can't believe I missed that. I would pay a ton of money to see it. Were you a Taking Back Sunday emo or a My Chemical Romance emo?” Chloe sighed, equally as dramatic as Max's previous sigh.

“My Chemical Romance,” she whispered.

As a reply to this, Max grabbed the AUX-cord, much to Chloe's dismay.

“Don't, that's not a blast from the past I'm prepared for right now,” she was smiling, obviously not serious, “play some of that indie shit you like to jam to”.

Max raised her eyebrows, and looked straight at her, “'That indie shit', huh?” she said before hitting play on the song Teenagers by My Chemical Romance.

It was a hot day, and they were both sweating, even with the windows rolled all the way down. They could barely hear each other over the wind, but still Chloe was wearing a beanie. Max had cracked jokes about it all day, every time she dared to complain about the heat. They weren't quite sure where they were headed to, but for now they would just enjoy the ride. Find some place before the sun went down. They weren't exactly swimming in money, so a crappy two-star motel across the highway was their only option these days. As long as they were together, it wasn't so bad, Max thought. Max swung her arm out of the car window, and “rode” the wind with her hand, like she used to do on those long trips she'd take with her mom and dad when she was a kid. normally she wouldn't be allowed to keep the windows open, because that would slow down the air conditioning, so when she finally could do it, she loved every moment of it. She didn't mind her hair flying off in every direction. It felt nice.

“Hey, Max? Yo, you there?”

Max pulled her hand into the car again. “Sorry, I totally spaced out”.

“No worries. I was just thinking, maybe we should hit up a lake or a beach or something? I'm seriously sweating over here”. She loved that idea. She could really go for a long, cold swim right now.

They drove down the dirt road, which ended up at a fairly large lake. They had stopped at a tourist information center, looking at maps, trying to find the best place. It had taken them a long time to find this place, an hour of bickering, because none of them knew how to properly read a goddamn map. But, here they were. It was a pretty looking spot. The lake had a small waterfall that ran down from the small mountain surrounding the place. It was pretty secluded. There was a rusty, old bench standing by the water. The two girls jumped out of the truck, and walked over to it. Chloe instantly pulled her shirt over her head, and Max couldn't help but stare. Chloe was standing with her back towards her. She observed her. Her skin was pale, with some red toned areas here and there. She had a surprisingly large amount of small, round moles, something that Max hadn't realized, not even back when they were young and would run around at the beach for hours. She wanted to run her fingers over them. She also had some freckles spread out over her shoulders, something that Max had always loved, and was jealous of. She only had freckles over her nose. Chloe turned around, and noticed her obvious staring, but she just smiled. Max took her sweater off too, and her shoes and jeans. Chloe didn't take her pants off, instead she ran over to the car, exiting with Max's retro polaroid camera in hand. The one that had previously belonged to William, Chloe's father. Max had been so grateful when Chloe gave it to her, after she ruined her own, by knocking it over in class. When she came running back, her pale, blue hair who was getting longer by the minute it seemed, moved elegantly around her face. She gestured at Max to pose for a photo, which she did. After that they took a selfie together, placing the camera on the bench, and having it go off after ten seconds.

Max didn't like open water anymore. It reminded her of all of those weird visions where she was caught in the storm. She felt the same panic whenever she looked out on a big body of water. But a small lake, she could handle. She walked slowly at first, and then faster, until her entire body was covered in water, only her head sticking up. Chloe had, of course, jumped in instantly. She looked cute with her hair slicked back. She was staring again. She just couldn't help it. Chloe swam over to her. They were mere inches away from each other at this point, but neither of the girls spoke. Chloe started leaning in, so Max closed her eyes. But nothing happened. When she opened them again, Chloe was gone. She turned around and was met with a cold splash of water straight in her face.

“Oh really? Is that what we're doing?” she laughed, splashing water right back.

They were sitting on the grass, not wanting to risk getting any cuts from the rusty bench. Max was shivering. She was always hit harder by the cold than Chloe was. The sun was staring to set. Chloe laid down on her back, smoking a cigarette. Her hair was starting to dry, and had gotten slightly curly. It was framing her face perfectly, Max thought, before standing up. Chloe's eyes followed her. She walked over to the bench, and took off her bra, and put on her dry t-shirt from earlier instead. She went to sit back down. They sat in silence for a while. Max started shivering again. This time Chloe sat up, and put her arm around her.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Of course, anything for my girl,” Chloe replied. This made butterflies appear in her stomach. My girl. Her girl. Somehow, those words made her feel more at home than any house had ever managed. They kissed briefly, before returning to look at the sunset. It was pretty, but it had nothing on the girl sitting next to her.

Max woke up at four. She sat up in the bad, panting a little bit. She had a nightmare. But she wasn't properly anxious, not really. It was a nightmare about clowns. Killer clowns. Now, those kind of nightmares she could handle. They were kinda fun, actually. Like an interactive horror flick. It was the ones about the tornado and Arcadia Bay that shook her to the core. But this time, she just rolled over in bed, rolling straight into Chloe, who grunted in her sleep, which made Max smile. She wrapped the covers around her tightly, and went to sleep again. It was only a matter of minutes before she was back to dreaming.

At noon the two of them was slamming the doors of the truck shut. They had just finished eating breakfast for free at the motel, and it was time to leave. Chloe was pressing away at her phone. She was laughing now and then. Max was looking through photographs from the trip so far. There was one she liked a lot, from one of the funniest days they'd had. They had been at a diner, where they had this challenge, that if two people could complete their “Monster Jumbo Meat king Sandwich” in less than thirty minutes, they could get it for free. And the two of them, being in the market of saving money, went at it. Max quit after about 2\6 of it was gone, but Chloe was not having it. She actually managed to get it all down. Afterwards Max asked the waitress to take a photo of them. Chloe was bending over, in pain from eating so much, looking like she was about to throw up, and Max was standing next to her, grinning, throwing up a peace sign. The memories made her laugh. She took the photo and stuck it on the mirror, so she'd see it everyday.

“That was hella worth it. I've never been full like that before, though,” she said, without really looking up from her phone.

“Hey, I got you something this time,” Max said, throwing a bag at Chloe, who was leaning against the hood of her truck. “Oh, sweet!” she said, digging into the bag instantly, and pulling out two containers of hair dye. Blue and purple. It was two for one, so why not.

“Wait, Max, I know you're a legendary outlaw and all that, but I still gotta ask, man.. did you steal these?” she said, grinning.

“Actually, I didn't,” she jokingly replied, “I'd steal those tubes of dye any day, but to steal a plastic bag.. I would never. Even legendary outlaws have morals, you know. We're human too”.

Chloe stood up straight and went over to Max, both laughing. She swung her arms around her neck, hugging her close. “You're so short,” Chloe said.

“Screw you,” Max replied.

They had put down news paper around the bathroom floor. Chloe was sitting on a cheap chair, wearing only a bra and some boxers, not wanting to get hair dye on some of the few clothes they had brought along. Max was standing behind her, gloves on, tube of dye in hand.

“Alright, now, I've done this many times. Usually there are few complications,” she began, “Most of my patients are survivors. So, are you ready for this?”

Chloe met her look in the mirror, “Yes, you dork, now let's get this show on the road”.

With that, Max squeezed the bottle, bright blue dye filling her hand. She started going at Chloe's hair, which she had earlier split into different parts. Max was taking this very seriously. Once she had evenly spread out the dye, she took a step back, admiring her work.

“Alright, doctor, now it's your turn,” Chloe said as she stood up.

“My turn?”

“Yep, can't just leave that purple dye on it's lonesome self, y'know”. Max told Chloe that she'd agree to it, but only the lower part of her hair. Like a brown purple ombré or whatever they were calling it. Chloe gleefully pulled on some gloves. Before she got started, she cut Max's fringe, back to it's usual length. Then she too got to work.

While Chloe was showering, Max was flipping through some channels on television. Lot of different blenders and teeth bleach for sale. Her back was aching a little, as she slouched over in the bed, not wanting to stain anything with purple hair dye. She heard the water turn off, so she prepared to go wash out her dye. Not long after Chloe came out, hair in a towel, and her body wrapped in one too. Max rushed past her, but briefly stopping to kiss her girlfriend before heading into the shower herself.

Max hadn't dyed her hair before. She had only gotten some highlights, to brighten up her hair. But she actually loved this new look. It was different. Weird. But she liked it. She was different herself. So I guess it was oddly fitting. She smiled at her reflection. When she stepped out of the bathroom, Chloe was asleep on the bed. Max was not surprised. It was almost four in the morning. One leg under the covers, and one over, she was stretched out on her back. Max grabbed her camera, and went up to her face, and snapped a photograph. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep.

You know how in the morning, everything has a blue filter over it. Like before the sun rises, but it's still light outside. That's exactly what met Chloe and Max when they stepped outside. Max was wearing a grey hoodie with a worn blue denim jacket over, and was still cold. Chloe, however was wearing her leather jackets with the arms rolled up. They were going for a short walk, Chloe was craving a cigarette. They headed over to the 24\7 corner store, which was only a three minute walk. Max was feeling kinda groggy. They had been up all night, laughing, watching movies. It wasn't until four they had fallen asleep. Max looked at her watch. 5:39. It had been great, but she was paying the price now. At the corner store they picked up some sodas, some candy. Lot cheaper than the mini fridge at the motel, that's for sure. The first night they spent at a motel, Chloe had eaten a couple of candy bars from one, while Max wasn't looking, somehow not knowing that it's overpriced as all hell. The old lady behind the counter looked pissed off. They hurried out of the place, and leaned against the brick wall out back. Suddenly they were holding hands, Max didn't know who initiated it, but she wasn't complaining. It wasn't long before they were kissing. Max was now standing in front of Chloe, who leaned against a wall, with her arms wrapped around the significantly shorter girl. Chloe tasted like orange soda. This time, it was Max who slipped her hand under Chloe's shirt. She had wanted to run her hands along her waist and back since they were at the lake, so there was no time for shyness this time. Chloe had her hands on Max's neck and waist, and was pulling her closer. They stood like this for a while, not caring about the outside world. But then Chloe pulled back.

“I love you so much, I..” Chloe said, looking almost confused. She looked down at her feet,, before continuing on what she was saying, “I'm afraid you'll leave me again. Like everyone else.”

Max placed a hand under her chin, and lifted her head, until their eyes met. “I love you. You're everything to me. It's you and me, until the end”. It was rare for Max to be as forward as this, but she needed Chloe to know, that she would never leave her again, not for anything in the world.


	4. Chippewa Lake Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe decide to head to Chippewa Lake Park, Ohio, to visit an old amusement park.

During these past weeks, Max and Chloe had seen many signs. The one they were looking at now read “Fort Wayne”. They were in Indiana. Chloe had never been to Indiana.

“Hey, you,” with little to no strength, she hit Max’s shoulder, who was looking down on her phone, playing some weird game, “Did you know that Indiana has the world’s largest egg?” Chloe crossed her arms and leaned against her car door. Max did not look up, she just nodded, obviously distracted. Chloe uncrossed her arm again and rolled her eyes, before looking lovingly at the girl. She then walked around the truck, opened the door, and retrieved a pack of cigarettes. She pulled one out, put it in between her lips, and lifted a lighter up, trying to block out the wind. She looked at herself in the duct tape covered window on the side of the car. Her eyes were a little red, and they felt kinda sore as well. Her hair were in braids, she had sat between Max’s legs the night before, and she had braided it in two thick braids, on each side of her head. Chloe let out a brief laugh. She hadn’t had her hair in braids since before her dad passed away. It looked somewhat weird. She felt herself relax once she inhaled the smoke, deep down into her lungs. She should probably quit one of these days, but today is not that day. The air was heavy, and warm. They had been driving for hours, and they were both tired of the road. There had not been much to look at for those hours either. They weren’t really heading anywhere in particular. They were thousands of miles away from home, and Chloe felt a mix of eagerness, calmness, and happiness. However, sometimes the sadness crept up on her. But not today. Today she felt ready to take on the world with the girl she loved. Lost in thought, she dropped her cigarette on the ground when Max yelled, from the other side of the car “Hey, Chloe, check this out!” The cigarette was not worth saving,

so she just stepped on it, suffocating the small fire that was burning it up from the inside. Max shoved her phone at Chloe, who took it, and looked at the screen.

“What am I looking at here, Max?” It was just a map, with a mark on some place called Chippewa Lake, in Ohio.

“It’s an amusement park.” Chloe looked at Max, with a questioning look on her face. “It’s been abandoned for a lot of years, but everything is still there!” She was very excited, more than she had been about anything lately. It did sound awesome, though, Chloe thought.

“Well, you wanna go check it out? Is it guarded or, what’s the deal?” She leaned back up against her car, awaiting an answer.

“I haven’t found anything about it being guarded. There’s probably fences, but that hasn’t stopped us before, has it?” She was grinning. It made Chloe’s heart flutter.

“How far is it?” she asked.

“Three hours, give or take.” Max answered. They decided that they would go, but would find a motel in Fort Wayne to sleep at first, since the night was approaching.

The truck drove up to the motel half an hour before nine. They went straight to bed that night, both feeling excited. They were both in need of a fun adventure, and this could definitely be it.

They had set the alarm for three in the morning the next day. They wanted to get to Ohio before the sun was completely up, while there was still a slight breeze outside, and they didn’t want to get caught trespassing. They got around six hours of sleep, so it wasn’t half-bad. Chloe stretched her arms over her head, and yawned. Max was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. It was still dark outside. Chloe preferred to drive at night. It gave her a sense of calmness, and the roads were empty sometimes, at least in smaller towns. She fished her jeans off the ground, and pulled them on. Max came out of the bathroom, wearing one of Chloe’s tank tops. It was longer on her tiny, short frame. It looked nice. She reached for a black sweater that she had thrown on the floor the night before, and pulled it over her head. She walked over to her girlfriend, and put her arms on top of her shoulders, connecting her hands behind Max’s neck. Their lips met, and Max pulled her closer.

Chloe was hanging out on the outside of the front desk at the motel, when Max came out, and told her that there was no receptionist at work before six.

“What do we do?” she asked.

“Why not just leave some cash and our room key?” Chloe answered.

“You sure that’ll be okay?” Chloe nodded, and went on inside, and wrote a note. “Hey, we’ve been staying in room 204. But we gotta head out, so we’ll leave the money behind here,” and placed a couple of bills behind it. Then, just like that, they were on their way to Ohio.

  
Max fell asleep pretty much as soon as they hit the road. Chloe didn’t mind listening to the gentle sound she makes when she’s asleep. It was cute. The radio was playing some pop song that she hadn’t heard before. It was catchy. Not really her favorite genre, but she couldn’t deny the catchiness of some songs. Not that she’d ever admit to it. She rolled down the window, and felt the breeze blow through her blue hair. Looking out the window, her eyes felt heavy. Every blink was a little bit longer than the previous one. Then, suddenly, she opened her eyes. The truck was driving in the wrong lane, and running in front of it was a deer, or something of that sort.

“Fuck!” she yelled, as she hit the brakes. The car stopped, without hitting the animal. Max looked extremely shocked, which was understandable. Chloe got out of the car, ran into the road, and looked around. Max came out, and ran over to her.

“Are you okay?” Max put her arms on Chloe’s shoulders, and looked into her eyes.

“Yeah.. Yeah, I’m, I just..” Max pulled her into a hug.

“It’s okay, we’re okay”. Chloe nodded.

“If you had been hurt.. I don’t know if I could ever…” It had taken Chloe a lot of work to be able to get her license. After what had happened to her dad, she just couldn’t imagine getting behind the wheel. Rachel had helped her to get over her fear of driving. Rachel and her dad was both gone. Her mom was gone. If she had lost Max in a car accident, she would have been able to forgive herself. Max put her hands on both sides of Chloe’s face, and told her that it was going to be okay. They were both okay.

“How about I drive the rest of the way, huh?” Max asked. Chloe agreed, and went over to the car. She lit a cigarette, and tried to calm down. “Try and get some sleep, yeah?” Max said, as she sat behind the wheel.

It took her a couple of tries to get the car running, but she had watched Chloe do it so many times that she was able to do it herself. Before driving off, she grabbed Chloe’s hand, squeezed it hard, and gave her a reassuring smile. Chloe smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She turned around, and looked out the window, before falling asleep.

Chloe felt the car move on to a different kind of terrain, which made her open her eyes. The sun had started to rise. It was two minutes over six, and Max was looking at a map on her phone.

“We there soon?” Chloe still felt a little sick from earlier, but she tried to get it out of her mind. They were okay. It was all going to be okay.

“Yeah, five minutes or so,” she said, without looking up, “I just gotta look at some directions”. Chloe didn’t reply, she just turned around towards the window again, and closed her eyes.

  
“You know, I like the nature in this state. It’s pretty,” Chloe said, as they both jumped out of the truck.

Max locked the door behind her, and threw the keys to Chloe, who then walked around the car, and put her arm around Max’s shoulders, as they walked off, towards the fence that were keeping them out of the abandoned amusement park. They walked around the fence, without finding an opening. However, Max had come prepared, and used one of the wire cutters that had been laying in the back of the truck as long as Chloe could remember. She cut open a small hole in the fence, so that they could climb through it.

“Look at you,” Chloe said; playfully hitting her shoulder, “Maxgyver strikes again!”

Max flashed a grin, and Chloe placed a kiss on her lips. Then they climbed through the fence.


	5. "The Love of my Life"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls explore the abandoned park, and enjoy each others company.

“You know, I’ve never been to Ohio, until now.”

Max looked up at Chloe, who was leaning against an old, weathered fence. Sometimes it was almost tiring how effortlessly beautiful Chloe was, with her messy hair, smudged eyeliner, and ill-fitted clothes, Max thought. Her heart hurt just looking at her, but in the best possible way.

“Neither have I,” Max finally replied, “It’s nice here, though.”

Chloe straightened herself, and the two girls continued walking down the path. On their right was an old funhouse, broken down, and creepy-looking. All the letters were in different colors, and angled in different positions. From the looks of it, the whole house had broken down on itself, and it was not possible to enter it anymore. The doors were wide open, which of course was an invitation for Chloe to run up and check it out. Max already knew that there was nothing to see, but she still followed her off the path, and towards the house.

“Ah, crap!” Chloe said when she reached the door.

“Looks like the roof collapsed,” Max replied.

Chloe nodded, and jumped down from the patio outside of the fun house. “I guess it’s bound to happen, doesn’t look like the soundest of structures, but it sucks.”

Max agreed. It did suck. However, soon enough they were on their way to the next attraction.

“I’m probably enjoying this a lot more, being here with you, than I would if I was here, while this place was still up and running,” Max said, kicking a rock with her worn out converse.  

Chloe reached out and grabbed Max’s hand. “Yeah, me too! This is totally rad.”

Max ran her free hand through her hair, leaving it in a mess. She did not care. In the past, she had often tried to put on a display of being above caring about her looks, but truth is she wanted to fit in, and it took a lot of effort to look effortlessly cool. Something she did not even manage most of the time. Max had always been a dork, and she’d probably be perceived as one for many years to come. Now, here, with her girlfriend, she could not care less about how she looked. She was not afraid of doing things, as she had been, in fear of looking silly. She trusted Chloe. Knew she would not hold anything against her. Max had always admired how effortless Chloe’s persona was. She did not care what anyone thought, while Max cared too much. That had always been the biggest difference between the two girls, even back when they were just kids. Now, things were different. Max was different. Chloe was all that mattered to her now.

Lost in her thought, she did not notice the huge structure left of the path, until Chloe pointed it out. In front of them was a huge Ferris wheel.  “Man, that’s awesome, come on, let’s go!” she said, pulling Max after her by the hand.

Standing underneath the huge metal wheel, they looked up in awe.

“This is hella cool, Max.”

Nature had really reclaimed it, and now it had ended up covered in rust, and with trees and other plants growing through and around it. Max was the first to jump up on the platform that held the wheel in place. Slightly nervous that it would break under her weight, she tiptoed over to one of the poles that held it all in place, and ran her hands through the moss that had covered it.

“There’s another house over there,” Chloe said, pointing out to a white structure out in the distance.

“And a roller coaster over there,” Max said, and pointed in another direction.

They both agreed on checking out the house first, and then walking over to what would probably be the main attraction of this visit. However, before they walked off towards the white house, Max grabbed her camera, and took a shot of the Ferris wheel in all its glory.

The white house was not much of a house; it was just a white wall at this point. As they were closing in,

Max read the graffiti that covered one side of the white wall. “The old fortune teller lies dead on the floor, nobody needs fortunes told anymore,” it said.

Chloe laughed, “That’s ominous.”

“It’s also a Kinks song,” Max said, before going over to get a closer look on the sad clown spray painted on the other side of the wall. Max actually felt a bit uneasy, by looking at it, and the lyrics. Somehow, it just created a heavy and anxious atmosphere, which she did not enjoy.

“Hey, babe, are you scared?” Chloe teased.

Max shook her head, knowing her girlfriend would never let it go if she found out that an old spray painting of a sad clown made her scared. Also, she was not actually scared, just a bit anxious. However, when Chloe slipped her hand inside under Max’s shirt, and ran her fingers over her spine, she felt calmer by the second. After walking around the structure two times, they decided to head for the roller coaster.

The roller coaster was definitely the highlight of the evening. It was beautiful. It had been built with wood, which was now weakened. First, they walked up to where people would enter the ride, which was a small structure with fences on each side, and a small roof. It was cute. Max had to stop Chloe from trying to balance on the actual roller coaster part of the ride at least three times before she stopped trying.

“God knows how this girl survived without me in her life,” Max said to herself, while walking a bit behind Chloe, who was rushing towards a lake, which the roller coaster crossed over.

Max felt a bit bad for saying that, considering what they had been through together. Truth is, Chloe would not have survived that week in October without Max. She would have died. Max wondered why the universe had not kept up its constant effort to kill her off, after the storm ended. Maybe the storm was the price Max had to pay to save her life. She was not okay with that, but she sure as hell was not okay with the other option either. No, she made her decision. She had to be okay with it. She did not want to live in a world without the amazing Chloe Price. Max had not used her powers since that week either. She did not want to mess with the universe. Her debt had been repaid. However, she was constantly afraid that the universe, or whoever the fuck had given her these powers, and who was punishing her for using them, would decide that the price was not high enough. Whoever, or whatever, that was behind this, was not very forgiving. Max’s mind suddenly wandered to Rachel Amber. Max did not know her, but from what she had heard, she could guess that she would love it here. Chloe was waving in the distance, trying to get Max to catch up. She began running, to reach her, and at the same time tried to push all of these thoughts out of her head.

The sun was setting by the time they reached the fence they had used to trespass into the abandoned park earlier. Chloe was the first one to go through, followed by Max. When they entered the car, Max was uneasy. Chloe put the cars into the ignition, but did not start the car. She knew something was up, so instead she looked over at Max, who was fiddling with the zipper on her jacket.  

“What’s up?” she asked. Max did not reply at first. She just looked around the car. She was happy, but there was one thing she had been thinking about a lot lately. Something that did not matter anymore, but she had to know.

“Chloe...” she began. Chloe raised her eyebrows in anticipation. “Did you love Rachel?” She said. However, she corrected herself fast, and added, “I mean, were you in love with her?”

Chloe ran her hand through her hair, and leaned back in her seat.

“Yeah. I... I loved her more than I had ever loved anyone. I loved her more than I loved myself.”

Max nodded, not knowing how she was going to respond, or how she felt about what she just heard.

Chloe continued, “At least that was what it was like back then. Until you came back into my life. I loved her. Then she disappeared…” she stopped for a second. “I guess I always knew that she was dead. Deep down. I just didn’t want to believe it. I thought she was the love of my life, and I knew that she would never…” Chloe swallowed, keeping back tears, “She would never just run off, to Los Angeles, without telling me. Without bringing me.” Chloe grabbed Max’s hand. “She was my soul mate. She understood me. But, you… You are the love of my life, Max. I didn’t think I could ever be happy again after my dad, but Rachel proved me wrong, and when she disappeared, well, I went back to my old way of thinking. But then…” She squeezed her hand. “Then, you saved me. You saved my life, not just literally. What Rachel and I had, it was special, but so is what we have. Do not ever, for a moment, think that you’re not as important to me as she was.” Max felt her eyes water, and wanted to look away, feeling guilty for bringing up these bad memories. “You know, I miss her every day. I miss my mom. I miss the old diner. My room. Then I look at you. I realize that the person I love the most, is right by my side. I am better off than I was back there. Without friends, without anyone to talk to.” Chloe looked away for a moment. “My thoughts are all over the place. Basically, dude, I love you. I wouldn’t trade you for anything.”

Max felt her heart flutter, and she leaned in for a kiss, before asking Chloe to leave this place.

When Max and Chloe pulled up to the motel, Max did not wait long before she walked over to Chloe. She leaned in, and told the girl, “I love you, too. The weight of all those lives… you are worth it. You always were”.

Chloe wrapped her arms around Max’s tiny frame, and pulled her into a kiss. Chloe tasted like the cherry cola she had been drinking in the car. Max let her hands run over Chloe’s shoulders, before finding their place on each side of her face. Chloe pulled her with her, not breaking free from the kiss, towards the door of their room. When inside, they threw their stuff on the ground, and continued kissing. Max placed her hands on Chloe’s hips and for a while, they just made out. Then, Max pulled at the neckline of her shirt, and pulling it off. Chloe placed her warm hands on Max’s collarbones, and looked at her. Max swallowed. She was nervous. But she was in love. So in love. Chloe started unzipping her pants, and threw them on the floor. Max grabbed onto Chloe’s shirt, and pulled it over her head. Chloe kissed Max again, and let her hands brush through her light brown hair. Max’s body was cold, but she felt warm inside. She could take on the entire world with this girl by her side. Nothing was impossible. Chloe let her hands wander to the clasp of Max’s bra.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked. Max nodded, and smiled. This was the only thing she wanted. With one simple movement, Chloe removed Max’s bra, before pulling her own sports version over her head. They looked at each other for a brief moment, before they continued kissing, trying to get as close to each other as humanly possible. Within minutes, they were under the covers on the bed.

Max woke up to the sound of someone closing the door behind them, and looked to see Chloe smoking a cigarette outside the motel door. She then drifted back to sleep.

The next time she woke up, Chloe was still asleep. It was eight in the morning, and Max was freezing cold. She searched the floor for the hoodie, and pulled it on, unzipping it over her bare stomach and chest. Before she was able to get out of bed, she felt a hand around her wait pulling her back. Chloe looked up at her, smiling, with sleepy eyes.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

Max leaned back into bed, falling into Chloe’s embrace, and kissed her girlfriend. “I was gonna take a photo of you sleeping, but I guess you ruined my chance of that,” she said, resting her hand on Chloe’s cheek.

Her girlfriend laughed, before suggesting that she could fake-sleep for the photo. Max agreed to this idea, and got up to get the camera that had been thrown on the floor with all the other stuff they had brought from the car last night, and ran over to the bed again. She brought the camera up to her eye, and snapped a photo. When it had developed after about a minute or so, she laughed at how fake it looked.

“Hey, Chloe, is this really you’re best fake-sleeping?” However, to Max’s surprise, Chloe did not reply. Instead, she snored lightly. “Wow,” Max said to herself, before tucking the photograph away into her wallet.

If the rest of her life would be anything like the past couple of weeks, she would be okay with it. Hell, she could not ask for anything better. After standing over the bed for a couple of minutes, thinking about how lucky she was, to be in this moment, with the girl she loved, she decided to jump into bed and sleep in, next to her girlfriend.

 


End file.
